Cbz40
The Grand Poobah
- Messages
- 31,387
- Reaction score
- 39
[SIZE=+2]If you can't cover 'em, beat 'em
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Dungy's zone coverage scheme makes up for cornerbacks' limitations
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]11:13 PM CST on Saturday, December 1, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_rgosselin.jpg
• E-mail
Every NFL team wants a shutdown corner – a Deion Sanders who can take away one side of the field from an offense.
But Sanders, Darrell Green and Champ Bailey are Hall of Fame-type talents. They aren't available in every draft. They aren't available in every decade. That's where coaching comes in.
Teams must build competitive secondaries with players who lack Green's speed, Rod Woodson's size and Bailey's skill set. And those corners are asked to cover wide receivers who, for the most part, are bigger, stronger, faster and more talented.
Tony Dungy figured out how to beat those odds as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s. He implemented a zone pass coverage scheme that asked the cornerbacks to keep the play in front of them. Don't let the ball get over your head, thus, minimize the big plays.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/rgosselin/vitindex.html
So offenses were going to catch shorter passes on this defense. Dungy instructed his corners to close fast and physical on receivers – punish them when they do catch it.
Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly became the prototypes for the scheme, helping the Bucs finish first in the NFL in pass defense in 2002 on the way to a Super Bowl championship.
Dungy had left the Bucs by the time they won the Super Bowl, but he did win it all with Indianapolis in 2006, using the same coverage scheme.
The 2006 Colts finished second in the NFL in pass defense with Jason David and Nick Harper at the corners. In Dungy's 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, his team has finished in the top 10 in pass defense eight times.
Herman Edwards and Mike Tomlin served as defensive backfield coaches for Dungy at Tampa Bay and are now NFL head coaches, Edwards at Kansas City and Tomlin at Pittsburgh. They also play zone coverage schemes that guard against big plays and punish receivers on little ones.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/12-07/1202tdungy.jpg Getty Images
Tony Dungy's Tampa-2 defense has spawned two Super Bowl champions this decade.
So it's no coincidence the Bucs, Chiefs, Colts and Steelers are among the best pass defenses in the NFL. All four rank in the top 10 – Pittsburgh (first), Indianapolis (second), Tampa Bay (fifth) and Kansas City (ninth). All four also rank in the top 10 in overall defense, and the Steelers, Colts and Bucs sit atop their divisions.
Because the cornerbacks in Dungy's Cover-2 scheme keep the play in front of them, they are always facing the quarterback. They see the ball in the air, so there is a greater probability for interceptions.
Kelly, Barber and Ty Law have all led the NFL in interceptions this decade playing this scheme. Barber had 10 interceptions for the Bucs in 2001, Kelly picked off eight in 2002 and Law, playing for Edwards on the New York Jets in 2005, also had 10 interceptions.
In an era when the rules are stacked in favor of the offense, spawning a flood of three- and four-receiver sets, the right defensive plan can overcome any lack of individual skill at corner. The Dungy coaching tree has the right plan.
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Dungy's zone coverage scheme makes up for cornerbacks' limitations
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]11:13 PM CST on Saturday, December 1, 2007
[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_rgosselin.jpg
• E-mail
Every NFL team wants a shutdown corner – a Deion Sanders who can take away one side of the field from an offense.
But Sanders, Darrell Green and Champ Bailey are Hall of Fame-type talents. They aren't available in every draft. They aren't available in every decade. That's where coaching comes in.
Teams must build competitive secondaries with players who lack Green's speed, Rod Woodson's size and Bailey's skill set. And those corners are asked to cover wide receivers who, for the most part, are bigger, stronger, faster and more talented.
Tony Dungy figured out how to beat those odds as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s. He implemented a zone pass coverage scheme that asked the cornerbacks to keep the play in front of them. Don't let the ball get over your head, thus, minimize the big plays.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/rgosselin/vitindex.html
So offenses were going to catch shorter passes on this defense. Dungy instructed his corners to close fast and physical on receivers – punish them when they do catch it.
Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly became the prototypes for the scheme, helping the Bucs finish first in the NFL in pass defense in 2002 on the way to a Super Bowl championship.
Dungy had left the Bucs by the time they won the Super Bowl, but he did win it all with Indianapolis in 2006, using the same coverage scheme.
The 2006 Colts finished second in the NFL in pass defense with Jason David and Nick Harper at the corners. In Dungy's 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, his team has finished in the top 10 in pass defense eight times.
Herman Edwards and Mike Tomlin served as defensive backfield coaches for Dungy at Tampa Bay and are now NFL head coaches, Edwards at Kansas City and Tomlin at Pittsburgh. They also play zone coverage schemes that guard against big plays and punish receivers on little ones.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/12-07/1202tdungy.jpg Getty Images
Tony Dungy's Tampa-2 defense has spawned two Super Bowl champions this decade.
So it's no coincidence the Bucs, Chiefs, Colts and Steelers are among the best pass defenses in the NFL. All four rank in the top 10 – Pittsburgh (first), Indianapolis (second), Tampa Bay (fifth) and Kansas City (ninth). All four also rank in the top 10 in overall defense, and the Steelers, Colts and Bucs sit atop their divisions.
Because the cornerbacks in Dungy's Cover-2 scheme keep the play in front of them, they are always facing the quarterback. They see the ball in the air, so there is a greater probability for interceptions.
Kelly, Barber and Ty Law have all led the NFL in interceptions this decade playing this scheme. Barber had 10 interceptions for the Bucs in 2001, Kelly picked off eight in 2002 and Law, playing for Edwards on the New York Jets in 2005, also had 10 interceptions.
In an era when the rules are stacked in favor of the offense, spawning a flood of three- and four-receiver sets, the right defensive plan can overcome any lack of individual skill at corner. The Dungy coaching tree has the right plan.